Recurring net income came in at 891.6 million reais ($239.37 million) in the quarter, roughly in line with the Refinitiv average estimate from analysts of 924.8 million reais, but down from 1.021 billion reais a year earlier.

Since the beginning of the year, BB Seguridade management has been saying that raising profit would be a challenge in 2018 as Brazil's central bank holds benchmark interest rates at an all-time low of 6.5 percent.

BB Seguridade, which is controlled by Banco do Brasil SA , also posted lower sales of pension plans and premium bonds, according to a securities filing.

The insurance holding company's return on equity was 38.1 percent, down 8.2 percentage points from a year earlier. ($1 = 3.7248 reais) (Reporting by Carolina Mandl Editing by Leslie Adler)